Making a game that can ease in newcomers and provide a fun experience for casual players, as well as sate the appetites of pro gamers, isn't the whole story though. There's also eSports. How to promote StarCraft II as a spectator sport outside South Korea? How to introduce people to the complexities and minor details of pro play? Can it even work as a spectator support in the West? Dustin isn't certain, but the team is committed to doing everything it can to try and make it happen. That's why the studio is producing the Battle Reports, to "give people a window," that isn't too hardcore – quite a different approach to the Shoutcast community where a high level of knowledge is assumed. "If we can put out stuff that says 'hey guys – competitive gaming – fun to watch! Check this shit out!'," Dustin says, "I think it might get more breadth."

"My feeling," he continued, "is that well designed RTS games are dramatic and they're fun to watch; just as, you know, poker, is dramatic and fun to watch, or baseball, is dramatic and fun to watch. Now, in baseball, if you don't understand the relationship between the pitcher and the batter, it's actually really boring. I know people complain about it, and they say 'it's the worst game ever', and I say, 'well, do you know about the pitcher and the batter and what's going on there?' 'No', well okay then, you're lost! There's so much going on between the curve balls and the fast balls and throwing them on the inside so he steps off the plate – there's all this stuff going on and you have to know what that is to really get geeked up about it, and be watching every pitch. And StarCraft's the same way."

"If you can teach them a little bit," he explained, "just to get their feet wet, so they understand the big sweeping movements – 'the aliens killed the humans!', right, they'll get the basics and then if you teach them 'oh, you see how he did that micro with the Marauder where he tagged the guy and the guy tried to run but he picked him off anyway'... then your knowledge will grow over time, and eventually you'll understand the depth of it."

Ensuring that StarCraft II will be entertaining to watch is yet another part of the design balancing act between hardcore and mainstream, intricate and accessible. Blizzard wants to create a game design that will encourage the pros "to play in a way that we think is fun to watch, and be fun to play." An example of this is Zerg versus Zerg match-ups in the original StarCraft, which often devolve into a contest utilising only Mutas, Zerglings and Scourge. "Not a lot of units, right, not what I would want as a designer," Dustin comments, "but, I'll give it this – it's got a lot of micro, and it's got a lot of dancing, and so, there's still a lot of drama, and adventure, to be had in that match-up. But [with StarCraft II] we're obviously looking for a wider expanse as well, I'd like to see that drama, with all the dancing, with six units instead of three."

Banelings can be deadly in the right hands.

It's a tough challenge, but with the closed beta coming up, the team is readying itself for some valuable external feedback: "we're actually really excited. We're getting to a point where we feel like we need more input." How much will the game change again after that? Who knows, but if there's one thing we know about Blizzard, it's that it will be done when it's done.